Joshua Wynder at Benfica

And it still doesn't answer the question "what is he doing between now and May?"

FWIW, he did not play over the weekend in Louisville's USL opener.

 

At the end of this interview, Josh is asked "Why Benfica?" and Josh grins and says "Benfica... That's just rumors" before continuing on. I can't tell if this means that Wynder might be headed elsewhere, or if he's playing coy for some type of legal / financial reason (Like, for example, maybe Benfica can't officially put him on their books until a new season begins or they're waiting for July 1 when the Portuguese Transfer window opens).

FWIW, Josh has made 5 appearances in USLC this season with Louisville.

 

Mixed bag from him at the u20 WC. Still not a huge fan of a move to Benfica. He’s not ready to go right now, and that can get ugly fast in Portugal.

 

Portugal is a graveyard of promising young Americans European careers. Do not recommend.

 

Portugal, top clubs, is all about churn and burn. If you don’t show what they want quickly you become and afterthought quickly.

Can’t say it doesn’t work for them business model wise. Players who make it there are highly sought after, generally ready for real high levels, thus demand big $$$.

It’s high risk, high reward type environment.

I don’t think he is ready either.

 

Wasn't a rumor apparently. He's got to work on talking while really saying nothing if he wants to be a future politician.

Instead he could have said, "there's discussions going on with multiple clubs" or "I'm not at liberty to discuss negotiations". Should have been something to that effect, as opposed to "it's a rumor" which implies untrue.

 

Benfica is probably asking Philly how much Brandan Craig would cost...

 

Wondering where his loan destination might be

 

Ah, the Keaton Parks treatment.

Keaton put in the work but didn't quite have the raw talent to break through and he still landed on his feet. But Keaton didn't have USSF backing him, so the combo of playing for Benfica B AND making USYNT appearances should bode well for him. Even if he doesn't become a Benfica 1st team regular, Wynder will have plenty of German, French, and Dutch teams following him in Lisbon.

And who knows, maybe Wynder has the right personality to become the first Yank to buck the trend of "not making it" in Portugal.

 

Considering they have their own team in the 2nd division, that's the "loan". Alternatives don't make much sense. There's just a big gap between their 2nd team or another Portuguese club that's in that division and Benfica's 1st team in terms of quality + investment. It's been tough to bridge so far.

 

The Portuguese League has also been reforming inter-league loan rules to prevent Porto and Benfica from hoovering up all the talent and loaning it back to the rest of the league. Benfica used to be able to have 8 or 9 players on loan at other top-flight Portugese clubs, and now they're limited to 4.

Worth noting that Wynder is also eligible for the u23 team which plays in ANOTHER league even though past roster rules effectively make Benfica B a u23 team. He will likely be with the u23s for UEFA Youth League.

If you want to scout what their ultras are saying, here is a link to his SerBenfiquista thread.

One poster there says he's been following Wynder since he was first linked last year and believes, "we may be looking at the new Varane". Most posters are positive about the move, and a lot of the discussion is about "is he the 4th CB for the A team or the starter for the B team". I thought it was VERY interesting that these guys seemed to be more appreciative of his performances at the u20 World Cup than most US supporters, although they weren't thrilled with his OG.

 

To thrive in Portugal you need a certain sophistication--what the Brits call "nous"--that he hasn't been exposed to in Louisville and didn't display at the U20's. I wish him all the best, but I don't see this working out all that well.

 

Similarly, super defensive posts about players who posters feel personally connected to don't feel objective or genuine.

Portugal has been very tough on YA kids... I'm not bullish either... there was a lot of hope and hype around Soto, EPB, Adu, Agbossoumonde, Parks...etc etc

It's perfectly reasonable to hope it works out for someone but be doubtful it will.

 

I still maintain that Parks' stint in Portugal WAS successful. He turned down an NCAA offer but wasn't on any pro-team's radars, got signed by a crappy 2nd division team, and played well enough to not only get purchased by Benfica but be on the cusp of their first team. Now, he has a solid professional career in MLS with a salary of $550k per year and is young enough that he could still go back to Europe in the future.

I mostly agree that Portugal hasn't been a great landing spot for many young Americans, but people should stop putting Keaton Parks on that list. He went to Portugal a relative unknown kid and left it as a well-respected professional.

 

That's a way to spin it.

His ambition at Benfica was to sign there and break through to the first team. It didn't work out, just like it hasn't for any YA we've ever seen go to a big Portuguese club and most of the stories from smaller Portugese clubs are horror stories, starting with Kenny Cooper 20 years ago right through to today.

That doesn't mean you cannot go on to have a fine MLS career.

 

He may have had the ambition, but he did not go to Portugal with the intention to sign with Benfica. He went to Portugal to pursue his dream of becoming a pro soccer player, since the only option presented to him in the US was as an amateur through the NCAA. He got scouted at a trialist tournament by Varzim and played his way into not one, but two Benfica contracts. Along the way, 2 clubs fought a legal battle over his signature (as an aside, lets see how that snake of a club Varzim is doing these days... oh, relegated out of the 2nd division last season and currently in a relegation battle trying to avoid dropping all the way to the 4th division? That tracks).

His arc is only a failure if you assume MLS was an option for him from the get-go. It was not. I'm sure some of the Texas soccer folks can correct me if I'm off-target here, but I was under the impression that FCD stopped tracking him after he got cut from the ODP. Regardless, "Keaton Parks to MLS" was not a foregone conclusion until he signed for Benfica, something he earned through his performances at Varzim. That's a success story in my books...

 

I get what zlatan is saying. Yeah, the goal was to make it there and he didn’t. I get that also.

I look at it like this. The kid has made it as a pro, is getting paid decently, and playing an event level. That is a success if yo like at failure rates. Good for him.
Is he upper level material? Nope. He failed at that, and I don’t see it in his future.

Still, getting paid to play ball. Good for him.

 

Anyway, it will be hard for any prospect to make it at churn and burn Benefica.

That being said Gomez has made me more cautious. I watched him quite a bit at Louisville and he was clearly superior playing against men. Well, those men are in USL for a reason. A step slower physically and or mentally. Gomez needs to break through this year or get loaned. The one time he played a speedy winger against Ecuador he struggled. Making that leap is hard and the physical part is what it is. It’s why a kid like Wiley may not be as polished as Gomez, but he has the wheels, and quickness, and has actually done more at at a higher level. Can’t teach that. I agree with a few of the assessments in the youth forums. I think Wynder has a long way to go.
Central defenders almost always do, so I temper what his progress might be,

 

Doesn't mean that he is capable to make right decisions at this age.

 

Experience is experience for a reason.